This is a first for me. Normally, if I feel compelled to highlight two films, I do them separately. However, this week, since one film is actually based on the other, I thought it might be interesting to try to highlight them together. Also, if you have issues with this week's selection(s), blame Neve Campbell. While sitting in a theater last weekend, I saw the trailer for her new film, Scream 7, and I thought to myself, "Y'know, I have a film in which she sings and dances."
Some things don't age well. No matter how well-intentioned, some things are just bad. If you've ever had the misfortune of seeing the movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), you know what I'm talking about. The premise was good--the Man of Steel, fully accepts the fact that, even though he is an alien, he now lives on Earth and, therefore, he takes it upon himself to rid the world of nuclear weapons, which he views as a tremendous threat to our existence. Unfortunately, the film was so poorly made--even with Christopher Reeve as a co-writer--that today it is, rightfully, considered one of the worst films of the 1980s. I mean, come on--you can even see the special effects during the flying sequences.
This is also the case with the first of this week's films. Unlike Superman IV, however, the second film I'm highlighting almost--almost--redeems the first one.
The first film, released in 1938 (there is apparently some controversy over this--many sources say 1936), was supposed to be a cautionary tale about the perils of drug abuse. Originally titled Tell Your Children (and also released in various areas under titles like The Doped Youth and The Burning Question), the film was apparently written and/or financed by a church group--although rumours persisted for decades that the government was behind it--and was supposed to educate the general public about the dangers and consequences of smoking the demon weed known as marijuana. (GASP!) It was allegedly inspired by the case of Floridian Victor Licata who, in 1933, killed both of his parents and three siblings with an ax in Tampa. Believed to be under the influence of marijuana, he was declared unfit to stand trial due to insanity and was diagnosed with schizophrenia with homicidal tendencies. (Hey... you had me at "Floridian.") In spite of the schizophrenia diagnosis, the case was cited as a reason to pass the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which ultimately outlawed legal sales of pot.
But back to the film...
Sadly, the end product is so bad it's actually comical--something I wish I could say about Superman IV. The writing and acting in the film are both highly questionable and the claims made in the movie--for instance that marijuana is more addictive than cocaine and heroin--seem absurd by today's standards. The film eventually found an audience among college students who found it so funny that it became a cult classic, frequently shown in late night "midnight movie" screenings. In spite of that, I still contend that the movie will essentially steal one hour and six minutes of your life. (Or yours... or yours... or YOURS!!!!)
The unintentional humour continued to resonate through the generations. In 1997, writing partners Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney were listening to Frank Zappa's album Joe's Garage--Zappa's idea of a musical--while driving from Oakland to Los Angeles. While picturing this musical in his head, Studney turned to Murphy and proposed the idea of making a musical out of this cult classic propaganda film from the late 1930s. They wrote the first song by the time they reached L.A.
Their musical debuted in Los Angeles at the Hudson Theater in 1998, eventually playing Off-Broadway in 2001. It was then filmed as a musical for television and was aired on Showtime in 2005. The film starred many of the cast members of the original L.A. production. The film version (and I assume the stage version) actually used dialogue from the original movie--this time intentionally getting laughs.
What still kind of blows my mind about this whole thing is the idea of something unintentionally being made badly versus something being intentionally made badly to the point where it's actually very good. The original movie is just anti-drug propaganda--kind of corny, not entirely accurate, and impossible to take too seriously, as much as the producers might want you to. (Apparently, even the actors didn't take it too seriously.) The musical version is really a satire. It pokes fun at the original propaganda and laughs at the unrealistic extremes that the establishment might want us to believe. It also takes some not-so-subtle swipes at the subtle racism that was behind some of the anti-drug laws of the time. Even though, like its predecessor, it's set in 1936, it feels relevant for its time, especially those first few years after 9/11. I'll be honest with you, I watched it again recently and it still feels sadly relevant.
(To reiterate the point of how good it is compared to its predecessor, the musical went on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Murphy and Studney for their song "Mary Jane/Mary Lane." It was also nominated for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Non-prosthetic Makeup for a Mini-series, Movie, or Special.)
The original movie was written by Lawrence Mead, Arthur Hoerl, and Paul Franklin; directed by Louis Gasnier; and stars a cast few remember today including Dorothy Short, Kenneth Craig, Lillian Miles, Dave O'Brien, Thelma White, Carleton Young, Warren McCullom, Pat Royale, and Josef Forte.
The musical version was written by Murphy and Studney, directed by Andy Fickman (who also directed the stage production), and stars a cast of actors still seen today including Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, Steven Weber, John Kassir, Robert Torti, and Amy Spanger. And, yes, Christian and Neve Campbell are siblings.
This week, please enjoy Reefer Madness AND Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. (Consumer hint: If you can find the DVD of the musical, it does include the original movie as a bonus feature.)
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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